Songwriter Pat Alger Opens Up On #1 Hits And Upcoming Oxford Performance

Hall of Fame Songwriter, Pat Alger, will be performing at the Ford Center on Thursday evening September 7th alongside fellow Hall of Famer Dickey Lee and Grammy recipient Roxie Dean. HottyToddy.com recently interviewed Pat in Nashville.
HottyToddy.com: Pat, tell us how you were influenced to become one of America’s greatest songwriters of all time.
Pat Alger: I believe that I was simply born to be one. My very first song was written about a girl named Barbara who I met at summer camp in 1962. My first instinct after learning to play a few chords was to write a song and it has never stopped.
HottyToddy.com: Where did you spend your youth?
Pat Alger: I grew up in South Georgia (LaGrange) which ultimately led me to playing the clubs in Atlanta while I was in College. Then in the 1970’s, I spent five years in Woodstock (upstate New York) following the famous festival there. It was there I crossed paths with some of the nation’s greatest musicians and vocalists such as John Sebastian, Levon Helm, and many others.
HottyToddy.com: Prior to landing in Nashville, you were certainly building a solid foundation.
Pat Alger: Actually, my first big break occurred in Manhattan after I left Woodstock when I met Livingston Taylor, younger brother of James.
HottyToddy.com: How so?
Pat Alger: I wrote a song called “First Time Love” that Livingston really liked, and his recording of it was my first time to have one of my songs on the radio.
It was a two chart hit (Pop and Adult Contemporary) which provided me the necessary funding to relocate to the Music City. Somewhere I still have a tape of Kasey Kasem announcing it on America’s Top 40 countdown.

HottyToddy.com: Apparently Nashville agreed with you as you are still there.
Pat Alger: I arrived there in 1981 and soon thereafter made some incredible contacts. One of these, Jim Rooney introduced me to Jack Clement, the legendary producer and songwriter. Jack allowed me the use of his recording studio which gave me the opportunity to produce a demo of a song I wrote in New York which right away became a top ten record “Overnight Success” which was a big country hit in Canada. Music is in the air here and I feel very fortunate to have been embraced by this community of talented people.
HottyToddy.com: You also met some very famous performers after establishing your songwriting credentials.
Pat Alger: A great number of the most famous groups and bands ever have recorded my songs. This includes Peter, Paul and Mary; the Everly Brothers; Brenda Lee; Dolly Parton and Mickey Gilley just to name a few.
HottyToddy.com: Speaking of Phil and Don, you guys really hit it off, paving the way for a rather lengthy association.
Pat Alger: I had opened shows for Don when he was doing a solo career and when they reunited in 1984 I was asked to open their shows on their worldwide Reunion Tour. They really liked my songs and my thumb picking guitar style which was similar to their dad’s. I opened all the Everly Brothers shows for 1984 & 1985 and did part of every tour through 1993 – one of the greatest experiences of my life.
HottyToddy.com: In 2010, your career took another upturn.
Pat Alger: It was that year that I was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. In my opinion and I’m sure Dickey Lee will agree, it’s the highest honor a songwriter can receive in Nashville. I was also honored when Phil Everly attended the event and gave me a photo of the last gig I played with them.
HottyToddy.com: Writing one number one hit would be fantastic, however, writing eight would seem next to impossible.

Pat Alger: Every number one is like winning the lottery four to five times. When it’s happening to your song it’s so exciting and hard to believe it when it finally hits the top. I have been a very fortunate man.
HottyToddy.com: Of your great hit songs, do you have a favorite?
Pat Alger: “Unanswered Prayers” recorded by Garth Brooks is my favorite.
HottyToddy.com: Describe what the night of September 7th can be expected.
Pat Alger: We will go into the stories behind an amazing bunch of songs most people will recognize, but our acoustic versions will be closer to the way these songs sounded the day we wrote them. Dickey Lee was one of my heroes as I was learning to be a songwriter and Roxie is one of the most talented and entertaining songwriters I know. The actual concert will run about two hours and it will be full of anecdotes about our careers and the songs as well as the artists that recorded them.
HottyToddy.com: How long have you known Dickey and Roxie?
Pat Alger: About 25 years for Dickey and around 15 for Roxie. I have worked with each of them separately but this will be the first time the three of us have shared the same stage. It should be a really fun evening.
HottyToddy.com: Being a professional songwriter seems like a very difficult way to make a living.
Pat Alger: It has consumed a 40 plus year career for me and I was very blessed to be good at it and amazed that I’m still making a living as one. There are about as many great songwriters out there as there are prize-winning nuclear physicists.
September 7th’s “Nashville Singer/Songwriter’s Night” (Thursday evening at 7:30 at the Ford Center) is quickly approaching. The entertainment in store will be a real treat for the attendees as Pat will be performing in Oxford for the very first time, but hopefully, the first of many!

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Steve Vassallo is a HottyToddy.com contributor. Steve writes on Ole Miss athletics, Oxford business, politics and other subjects. He is an Ole Miss grad and former radio announcer for the basketball team. Currently, Steve is a highly successful leader in the real estate business who lives in Oxford with his wife Rosie. You can contact Steve at sovassallo@gmail.com or call him at 985-852-7745.